"Insurgents" trying to escape U.S. Marines took refuge in a cave and killed two Americans during a five-hour battle in eastern Afghanistan that left an estimated 23 rebels dead, the U.S. military said Monday.
The clash, which also involved U.S. attack planes, was the latest in a wave of battles that the military says has inflicted heavy losses on "militants" who have intensified attacks since winter snows melted.
A U.S. statement said Sunday's battle started when a Marine unit checked on a tip about "insurgents" operating in Laghman, an opium-producing area 60 miles east of Kabul.
